Flipped
by Coco Gold
Summary: We never got to see what Alex was doing in Vietnam. This is his missing story. He met Crystal after his unit was attacked while scouting a village, she was the Army Nurse that brought him back to life, in more ways than one. This is where his life flipped. Alex/OC.
1. Chapter 1

Mutants. They say the word as if it is the cruelest and most terrifying word that could ever be uttered. I do not see the difference, between them and us, we are all humans are we not? Simply a different chromosome and _boom_ you are no longer human and no longer treated as one. In the army there is a phrase, don't ask don't tell. Most people believe that this phrase originated with people's sexuality, but I know the true story. The Don't Ask Don't Tell of Mutants. My name is Crystal and this is my story. It started simple, the Vietnam War was on the rise and an abundance of men were getting drafted left and right. My brother was one of them, although he would lead many people to believe he willing signed up the minute he got the chance, standing in line for hours just jumping at the chance to serve the great United States, but the secret is, Maj. Bill Stryker, was drafted.

He also did everything in his power to get out of the draft, he almost did too. He enrolled in University, like most white men of high status his these times, but he didn't make it. So here he is now a Major in the United States of America army, our parents are proud. They worry about him though, a lot. That's why they were so relieved that I got sent here too. I am an Army Nurse, though most of the boys call us Angels. We take the boys in when they are hurt and we clean them up, usually just to send them back out to the frontline, if they make it.

But that is what makes this job hard, not everyone makes it, and as you stand there holding them, you see the soul of these people leave their body right in front of you. You are holding them in your arms; you are holding a brother, a son, and a husband. Then you take their dog tags and you read the name out loud to show respect, you say a quick prayer to the heavens above, then you're off again to another person whose soul is just barely hanging onto its body. This is my life. This was not my choice.

I could be in law school, I could be a mother, I could be a teacher, I could have been anything. But I'm here, my parents wanted to make sure my brother would be safe, so here I am, and here is where I shall stay.

_X_

I met Summers on a Tuesday, his unit was passing through a village when one man stepped on the wrong ground, sent the whole unit up in ash, they all ended up here. We had to section off our entire tent just for these guys, everyone was hit, not a single man spared, we lost three great men in a single breath.

I still remember that day, everyone was running, yelling, and screaming. We were trying our best to get bunks for these men, for these _boys_, then the first name, "Bud Johnson." Everyone looked up, said a word for his soul, and then jumped back to work, if you weren't watching you never would have seen it. "Steve Lukemen." Another look towards the sky, then finally, "Andrew Smith." You could hear wailing in the back, we knew him, everyone knew him. He was the funny guy, the one who kept everyone laughing when times were dark and empty. Now his body was, empty of a soul, empty of a life, empty of the hope of ever coming back to his family, to his wife, to his little boy. That is what we all felt, empty.

It was later that night when I first talked to him, when I first talked to Alex. I had the night shift and I was making my rounds, seeing if everyone was asleep, seeing if anyone was in pain. The usual, until I saw him, nothing about him was usual. He was still, not thrashing and wailing like most of the men around him, just still, like the current. He looked up from where he was lying and caught my eye. I, of course, did the most logical thing I could do, "D-Do you want some water?" I asked him if he wanted water, water. A boy finally looks at me the way I want him to and I ask him if he wanted _water. _Though it was dark, I swear he smirked, even just a little, the smallest upturn of his lip was all I needed.

That was the day that my life flipped.


	2. Chapter 2

We were walking, as we always do, that seems to be all we do, walk. We walk through villages and towns. The only thing people in Vietnam do is farm it seems like, when you look around no one seems dangerous, like they could harm a fly, much less a person. But that is what Guerilla Warfare is, secret, the little boy next to you playing in the dirt; last night could have been setting up a mine for you to step on.

I shouldn't be here, none of these men should, but I should be at X-Mansion, which is what we decided to call it before I left, X-Mansion, it's fitting. But I'm here, walking. Everything seemed so perfect before I left; new mutants were coming in, so excited to learn about their abilities. Everything was how it should have been, laughter filled the halls from morning till night. Then, I was ripped from heaven and thrown into this hot hell.

Suddenly, everyone stopped, frozen, then I hear it, we all hear it, crackling, like the sound of wires that are too close. Something has happened, everyone is silent, no one dares move, we know that sound all too well, it's the sound a mine makes when you get close enough, close enough to know that your life is no longer a guarantee. Our breaths are hitched, not a person even dares to take in a single breath. I hear it before I feel it; I hear the snapping of a twig, someone has put their foot down.

Suddenly it's hot, too hot. Burning, I smell fire, I am on fire.

Pain. That's the last thing I remember, _pain._

_X  
_

Crystal fell asleep on a chair that was lying in a dark corner, not comfortable, but useful enough. Crystal was on night duty tonight and since all the beds were filled with men from the front line, she was stuck with the chair, she was happy she had anything. Suddenly, she was awoken from her light sleep to the sound of gasping and thrashing. Someone having a flashback, it happens quite often in this tent, these boy's memories never fully go away, no matter how many dreamless nights they have. Crystal got out of her chair to inspect to see who she needed to wake up, after she fully stood up, stretching from side to side, trying relentlessly to get her back to bend back to the way it was before she slept in that heaven awful chair.

As she went from bed to bed she started to get worried, no one was awake as far as she could tell, and if someone was, they were very good at hiding it. As Crystal was about to sit back down in that dreaded chair, she heard mumbling across the room. "N-No don't step down. No I'm-No!" It was a hushed whisper, they usually are, these solder's worlds are taken away from them in a whimper, not a bang.

Crystal slowly walked back over to where she was just moments before and she saw him, Summers. The last man Crystal would ever have thought to be upset, last she had seen him he was steady, he was calm. Now he is anything but, sweating and thrashing around in his sheets, as if they were attacking him in his sleep, suffocating him until his soul finally surrendered the fight. Crystal walk towards him, slowly, not to wake him up by force, all the nurses have horror stories to tell about a flashback nightmare turned disastrous from waking one too forceful.

Crystal knelt next to his bed, waiting for the perfect moment to wake him. He was sweating bullets, his arms wailing as if they were trying to stop something in his mind, some monster that was standing before him only in his dreams. Summers looked in immense pain, his face squeezed so tight it looked like he just ate a lemon. His eyes jammed shut abruptly then his bright blue eyes suddenly opened as wide as they could and he shot up, gasping for air. He looked like a mad man. Crystal jumped from her kneeling position and let out an inaudible gasp. Alex looked over at her in shock, not expecting someone to be this close to him as he woke from his nightmare.

They stared at each other for a few moments, then his lips started moving, he was speaking words, English words, Crystal knew that, but she was in such a state of shock she could not understand what the sounds coming out of his mouth translated into.

"I-I'm sorry, what did you say?" Crystal asked, feeling her face flush from embarrassment.

"I said get me a glass of water. You offered me one didn't you?" Alex said, moving his hand over his eyes, as if the dim light of the candles Crystal had set up were too bright all of the sudden.

"Yes, water, of course." Crystal responded, shocked into action by his bluntness. "You know a please wouldn't kill you in the long run."

"Yeah, but being in this war will, so if a water is too much to ask for, Princess, then I'm sorry why don't you go out walking with a gun strapped to your back the next time my flight is sent on a suicide mission." Alex shot back, slamming his head down against his hard pillow.

"Here," Crystal said, thrusting the cup of liquid in front of his face. "I hope it washes your mouth out, who taught you to speak to a lady like that?"

Alex turned to her after gulping down the entire glass, water dripping from his lips like an animal. "Prison," He stated nonchalantly, "more water."

"I bet in prison they at least have more manors than you." Crystal said, snatching the cup back from him.

"Well you know what, prison also had nicer servants." Alex shot back.

Crystal turned around so fast Alex swore she could be at Professor X's school just for her natural speed. In a flash she was directly next to him, glaring at him with a look that could kill any solider. "I swear Summers, if you call me a servant one more time I'll take that pretty little face of yours an-"

"Crystal! Your shift is up, you relieved from your duties." Crystal heard a voice come from the opening of the tent and of course it belonged to none other than her beloved brother, Major Bill Stryker. Standing next to him was her best friend Amber, who came to relieve her of her duties.

Crystal slowly stood up from her crouched position over Alex's body and swiftly walked over to Amber and her brother. Alex smirked while her back was turned, laying his head back down on his hard-as-a-rock pillow."Took you long enough." Crystal said over her shoulder, low enough so only Amber could hear. "I don't know Crys, looks like you might have wanted a few more seconds with Mr. Tall Blonde and Scary." Amber teased.

"Ugh don't even talk about him," Crystal mumbled under her breath. "I will talk to your tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, good night, good luck not dreaming about him."

"You're disgusting."Crystal turned around one last time to see Alex sleeping, or so he wanted people to think, soundly under his covers once again as if nothing had happened.

This was going to be a long war.


End file.
